Reflection of the Word of God, March 1st, 2026

DON'T BE AFRAID

We are on the second Sunday of Lent. Today we hear Jesus again turning away from the people into a lonely place to pray. Jesus prepares himself, because he has begun the most important stage of his mission; he has taken the road that leads him to Jerusalem, where he will be imprisoned, tortured and condemned to death (Lk 9:22). But he fears that his disciples will not understand these facts and that at the moment of truth they will leave him alone; That is why he wants to instruct them, to prepare them.

On the mountain, a place of encounter with God, while praying he was transfigured; His appearance and clothes turned white, with the color that distinguishes divinity. In this way, in the midst of so much insecurity and fear, he wants to show his disciples a preview of what the end will be. Although he must go through the painful path of suffering and death, his disciples must know that the end is the resurrection.

Today we are used to living Lent as a time of sacrifice, in fact it is, but the liturgy anticipates us with the message of this day, what Easter Sunday will be. Amid the fatigues of life, we too find these moments of respite and peace, and we would like to stay there ("let us make three tents," said Pedro); but no, we must come down from the mountain and continue on our way. Let us not be afraid. Our life does not end on the Friday of suffering, nor on the Sabbath of the grave, but on Easter Sunday.

Fr. Tarcisio